(MENAFN) Russia has expressed readiness to restart negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul, though Kyiv has yet to respond to previous proposals, according to Russia’s charge d’affaires in Türkiye, Alexey Ivanov.

“The Russian side has repeatedly emphasized that we are ready to continue direct negotiations with the Ukrainian side. Our Turkish partners have also consistently stressed that the Istanbul platform remains available to us — these doors remain open,” Ivanov said.

He explained that Moscow had earlier put forward several initiatives, including plans to establish three online working groups, but “unfortunately, we have not yet received a positive response from the Ukrainian side.” Ivanov added that Russia remains open to discussions “if Kyiv shows political will.”

At the same time, Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov, who leads Ukraine’s negotiating team, arrived in Istanbul on Tuesday. In a statement on Telegram, he said his visit aimed to push forward with the exchange of prisoners of war. “These days, I will be working in Türkiye and the Middle East to unblock the exchange process. There was an agreement, and we need to implement it,” he noted.

Russia and Ukraine have held three rounds of renewed peace talks in Istanbul this year, focusing on prisoner exchanges and outlining their respective roadmaps for ending the war that began in February 2022.

Moscow had proposed forming online working groups to address political, military, and humanitarian matters, though the process has since stalled.

Alongside Türkiye, the United Arab Emirates, as well as Saudi Arabia and Qatar, have also contributed to mediating humanitarian exchanges between the two sides.

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